My Myrtle Moment

Some of the woods David works with I just fall in love with. Oregon Myrtle is one of those woods. 

Here are a few examples of Touch Wood Rings incorporating Oregon Myrtle. The horizontal inlay on this juniper heartwood ring is Myrtle. The inlay is a 'full moon' ™  mother of pearl.

The interior liner on this Grenadilla / African Blackwood ring is Myrtle and it's also one of the spiraled inlays.

The single spiraled inlay on this juniper heartwood ring is Myrtle.

Brent and Sarah's Black Walnut rings have inlays of Myrtle wood. Sarah's ring also has a crushed shell inlay.  I'm partial to the wider myrtle inlay on Brent's ring as it lets us see the beautiful cross hatched grain that David coaxed out of the wood.

"These rings are simply amazing! We were just floored by how simple, clean and comfortable they were. They fit perfectly; like an old friend. My (Brent's) ring fits so well with (the unusual shape of my hand), I loved the way David didn't just taper it, but just made a space for my finger. It looks great and feels better. Sarah's looks amazing with her shell and she said its a perfect fit. Both of the rings go on quite easily but fit snug once they are on so there is no danger of them slipping off. Thank you for your amazing work and the love you put into it. We are so happy that we could share this experience with you. Brent and Sarah"

Myrtle has also been called pepperwood, spicebush, cinnamon bush, peppernut tree, headache tree, mountain laurel, and balm of heaven. 

Myrtle grows very slowly. The slow growth produces a close grained and fine textured wood. Oregon Myrtlewood offers a wide variety of beautiful colors and grain patterns.

As with most trees; the color of the wood is often influenced by the minerals in the soil. The colors of Oregon Myrtle range from blond to black with many shades of honey, browns, satiny grays, with reds and greens in between. 

The myrtle plant has long been a symbol of love and an emblem for marriage. It is also believed to be the flower of the gods, being sacred to the Greek goddess Aphrodite.

Myrtle wood is often used as a wedding garland or decorations for the marriage ceremony, and utilized in many wedding rituals.
The myrtle also symbolizes good fortune. It is believed that cultivating a myrtle plant will usher in peace and love to your home. Myrtle is considered a representation for long life, as well as joyful living.

Thanks to the Myrtlewood Gallery and Aunty Flo's website.  And as always, thanks to the awesome people we work with who wear a Touch Wood Ring.  

Mulberry, Serviceberry, Chokecherry and Cherry

Is there a type of wood you really love or a tree that's special to you?

Can you picture wearing a ring made from a branch of that tree?

Here are a few examples of David's 'Branch Wood Rings'.

Bill's Mulberry, Apple and Oak Woods above and

his Mulberry Ring with Apple and Oak inlays 

That's Kathy and Val's Serviceberry Wood above and the

Serviceberry Rings David created with cross spiraled Lapis Lazuli inlays 

bordered by narrow Maple

  It's a little like Christmas morning when a parcel arrives with a branch or a rock or a little envelope of dried flower petals from some other corner of the world.  

Someone has thoughtfully gathered and packaged those things and they've entrusted us to make them something beautiful from their raw materials ~ something worthy of their feelings for their beloved.  It's a humbling thing.

Kristen and Dan sent this Chokecherry wood (from their wedding tree)
and these are their Walnut and chokecherry rings.

Drop us an email if you like. We'll let you know how to choose your branch and how best to send your wood, or stones or shell (or coffee grounds or sage or sweetgrass :) just about anything that you'd like David to use a wee bit of in your ring.  

It's one way to make your ring extra special and have it tell your own unique story.

 Here's the stone and shell Abby sent

and her Cherry Wood

And the ring David created for her beloved. 

Greyed Maple with Abby's Cherry Wood and inlay material.

The possibilities are endless.
We look forward to hearing your ideas.
As always ~ thanks so much for stopping by.

A spur of the moment wedding celebration

Adam commissioned an engagement ring for his beloved Jennifer back in April of this year. When it arrived in the mail Adam wrote to us saying:

I just received Jennifer’s ring. David does amazing work!  Thank you so much.  You guys were so easy to work with and David did a beautiful job.  I can’t wait to give to her!

~ Jen's Touch Wood Engagement ring is Juniper heartwood with Myrtle, Maple and Mother of Pearl ~

On October 5th, Adam wrote:

I meant to contact you months ago but the summer just flew by.  I proposed to Jen and she absolutely loved her ring.  


We were planning on getting married next summer but in a spur of the moment decision we ran off to Banff and got hitched last weekend in a small ceremony with our families.  

We’ve been talking, and were thinking of ordering some wedding rings for next year.  We are not in a rush but were thinking around February-March.

With our spur of the moment wedding we didn’t have any rings so I crafted up some temporary rings the night before – (not quite as nice as David’s work but it did the trick)

We admire Adam's ingenuity and just adore their wedding rings. So sweet ~ and what a great story they have to pass on ...   
Thanks so much to you and Jen, Adam! We loved working with you too and look forward to hearing from you and Jennifer again.  
Much Love and Light to our newlywed friends!  
♥

Celebrating the Love at the end of the year.

Celebrating the Love.

There were 10 wonderful people directly involved in the creation of these 10 rings toward the end of 2015.

Two couples who've designed their rings together and individuals who painstakingly described and designed a very special ring as a gift, or an offer of forever for their beloveds. And of course David and I were also very happily involved.  

Rosewood with Mother of Pearl and a Juniper heartwood ring

Man's tapered Blackwood Ring with a Purpleheart wood interior and three full moon inlays of greyed maple, Oak and Pink Ivory wood

 Black Walnut Wood Rings with Birch inlays, an Oak interior
and an inlay of crushed stone and sacred sage and sweet grass

Tapered Australian Blackwood Ring with wide inlays of Red Cedar and Eucalyptus

A size 10 figured Olive Wood Ring tapered from 9mm to 6mm

 Bethlehem Olive Wood Ring with a center inlay of Grenadilla Wood

Size 13 Figured and tapered Olive Wood Ring 

 Australian Blackwood Ring with an Oak interior liner 
and a single offset inlay of Eucalyptus

Wishing one and all a healthy and joyous 2016!

Much love from me and from David.

Touch Wood Rings

By David Finch

Pioneer of the steam bent wood ring.